More than 8,500 Immigrant Dreamers with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) has lost their protection from deportation, and another 122 Immigrants lose protection and work authorization each day–placing 22,000 Immigrants at risk between now and March 2018 when the DACA program officially rescinds.

Starting March 5, 2018, an estimated 1,000 Immigrants with DACA will lose protection every day totaling 210,000 Immigrants who would lose protection over the 7 months it would take to implement new legislation.

The moral of the story is we NEED legislation to be passed that protects Immigrants with DACA NOW.

At Memphis immigration Project one word is driving us right now: Urgency. The more Congress waits to pass legislation, the more Immigrants lose their protective status and work authorization, daily. Therefore, urgency is key.

We put together a letter urging Congress to please protect Immigrant Dreamers by passing legislation like the Dream Act and we plan on handing a copy of the letter to Congressman in Washington, DC Thursday, November 30th. The letter has been signed by some of the top faith, business, and organization leaders in Memphis.

The letter can be read below.

Please Help Protect Immigrant Dreamers

Dear Congressman,

There are currently around 800,000 plus Dreamers with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in the U.S., of which nearly 8,000 have benefited around the state of Tennessee, and 2,000 plus in the city of Memphis.

The DACA program has given Immigrant Dreamers in the state of Tennessee and Memphis the ability to acquire a job with benefits, obtain a Social Security number, gain better access to higher education and more fully participate in their communities.

However, since the DACA program is set to officially rescind in March 2018, these 800,000 plus Immigrant Dreamers will begin to lose all of the privileges and opportunities DACA has provided.

As followers of Jesus Christ and people of good will, we understand Immigrant Dreamers came to the U.S. as babies and children without any choice in the matter, and firmly believe they should not be blamed for crimes they did not commit. We believe Immigrant Dreamers are created in the Image of God (Genesis 1:26-28) and have tremendous potential to do amazing things. We believe Immigrant Dreamers are people to love, not problems to solve.

Therefore, we ask that you love Immigrant Dreamers as your neighbor (Luke 10:25-37) and protect them by helping pass legislation like the Dream Act of 2017. We know making legislative decisions for your constituents is complex and difficult at times, so please know we appreciate you as a Congressman for taking the time to read this letter, and considering how you can help protect Immigrant Dreamers.